Keanu Baccus wants Celtic to feel his recent pain as he makes admission about St Mirren's Cup rivals

Keanu Baccus felt pressure to win the Asia Cup with Australia and was left devastated by defeat.

Now, the Socceroos star wants Celtic to feel the same when they face St Mirren in Paisley. Baccus is back from Qatar and could start in Saints’ Scottish Cup tie against the holders. He says becoming a regular for the Aussie national side – and playing at two major tournaments – has given him belief. But while Baccus has taken his career to a new level, he accepts it comes with higher expectations.

He was distraught at his country’s late loss to South Korea in Qatar because he felt they could win the trophy. And he’d love to get his hands on silverware with Saints but Brendan Rodgers’ side stand in their way. And this time Baccus hopes to take advantage of the Buddies’ underdog status by knocking out the Hoops.

The 25-year-old said: “The belief I have playing for Australia can translate into performances for my club, for sure. Since I signed here, games against Celtic and Rangers have been massive. They’ve changed my perspective on football.

“They’ve helped me when it comes to playing against an Asian team or Argentina, for example, when I go away with Australia. Sunday’s game is going to be a great experience again. I’ve played Celtic a few times and I know what I’m in for. We’ve beaten them before so why can’t we do it again? Celtic are favourites and I know from the Asia Cup, that brings a different pressure.

"As underdog, you have nothing to lose. If we can hold on early, their fans can go against them and that will put pressure on Celtic. At the Asia Cup we were one of the favourites and there was more pressure on us.

"The South Korea game was one of the hardest in the tournament. If we’d won it would have given us the